


Release of Liability

by thenafics



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Constantine: The Hellblazer (Comics), DCU, DCU (Comics), The Dresden Files - All Media Types, The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher, Under the Red Hood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dresden Files Fusion, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, Urban Fantasy, What if Bruce Wayne was a wizard?, honestly just self indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 16:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17666336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenafics/pseuds/thenafics
Summary: Harry Dresden is a problem solver. Bruce Wayne, head wizard of Gotham, has a problem.*Basic knowledge of like, the first book in the Dresden Files series is kind of necessary**Harry Dresden POV*





	Release of Liability

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing something in first person, but this way it fits with the style of the book series better. Not sure how I feel about this style, because I usually don't read fanfiction written in the first person, so let me know if you like it and want to see more!  
> Very self indulgent. Has been sitting in my works folder for like 6 months. Honestly, I've just been on a bit of a Dresden Files kick lately and this is yet another attempt at getting rid of the writer's block I have going on for my Artificial Gravel story.

       Bruce Wayne is the head wizard of Gotham, widely considered the worst city in America by pretty much every metric imaginable. Needless to say, he’s a pretty scary guy, especially when you consider that he lives in a city whose police department has a special division for clown related murders. Take a second to let that one sink in. He’s also pretty much one of the only other wizards on the council that voted along with Ebenezar McCoy to not have me executed, so I’m a little scared of him and a lot in his debt. 

       In comparison to him, I’m one hell of a loose canon. I’m well known for playing fast and loose with the rules and my ability to antagonize anybody. The name Harry Dresden strikes annoyance into the hearts of pretty much everyone. Cue thunder crack and evil laughter. The only thing I have going for me is that, annoying tendencies aside, I get the job done. So, for Bruce Wayne to send for me to help him out with something when he has control of all the wizards in Gotham, means he needs a job done that’s just grey-moral enough that he will willingly put up with me. It also means that I’m headed into a city that no outside wizard has set foot in in almost forty years. Here’s to hoping I don’t die there.

       I make the drive from Chicago to Gotham in sixteen hours. It should have only taken about twelve, but I’m man enough to admit that fear played a large part in procrastinating and adding four more hours to the drive. When I pass through the city limits, I feel the push and pull of the massive warding that surrounds Gotham. The little twang I feel rushing through the interwoven strands of magic seems to send some sort of signal across Gotham to where I presume the headquarters of Gotham’s wizards are. I follow the winding streets to Wayne manor and the gate to the driveway opens up just as I pull up to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       Meeting Bruce Wayne in person is a lot different from seeing him in trashy magazines or watching the television when they do celebrity gossip pieces on “Gotham’s Sweetheart.” The first thing I notice is that he has an aura like no other I’ve sensed before. The way it seems to pull in magic, almost like a black hole, is entirely at odds with the sparkling TV ready smile I’ve seen in pictures and videos. Before being alone in the same room with him, I’d assumed that when I heard other wizards call him the Dark Knight that they were joking around. Now, I’m pretty sure that if I opened my Sight, he might actually just melt into the shadows.

“Mr. Dresden. Thank you for joining me today.” Every word he says sounds set in stone. He has the kind of voice that rumbles somewhere deep in his chest and comes out only to make statements. Something tells me he’s not the type of man who has to say things twice. Ever.

       He extends his hand for a handshake and I hesitate a moment before taking it. Shaking hands with another practitioner sends a little shock of their magic through your system. I’ve been told shaking hands with me is like sticking your hand right onto a car battery. Making contact with some weaker practitioners can feel like getting blood drawn or pinching the tip of a smoldering match. In general, the type and strength of sensation is a good indicator of a practitioner’s power level and the "flavor," of their magic. Shaking hands with Bruce Wayne is like what I imagine it would be like if I decided to stick my hand into a tar pit. The feeling of steady pressure, inescapable and firm, spreads from my arm all the way over my body in a manner of seconds. When he pulls away, it feels like somebody has just ripped a full body piece of duct tape off of me. Seemingly satisfied with what he gets on his end, he shifts to make room for me to enter and gestures for me to come inside.

“Welcome to Wayne Manor. Please come in.”


End file.
